Egg parasitoid exploitation of plant volatiles induced by single or concurrent attack of a zoophytophagous predator and an invasive phytophagous pest

Zoophytophagous insect predators can induce physiological responses in plants by activating defence signalling pathways, but whether plants can respond to facultative phytophagy by recruiting natural enemies remains to be investigated. In Y-tube olfactometer bioassays, using a system including a Vicia faba plant, the zoophytophagous predator Podisus maculiventris and the egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi, we first demonstrated that T. podisi females are attracted by broad bean plants damaged by feeding activity of P. maculiventris and on which host egg masses had been laid, while they are not attracted by undamaged plants or plants damaged by feeding activity alone. In a second experiment, we evaluated the impact of the invasive phytophagous pest Halyomorpha halys on this plant volatile-mediated tritrophic communication. Results showed that the invasive herbivorous adults do not induce plants to recruit the native egg parasitoid, but they can disrupt the local infochemical network. In fact, T. podisi females are not attracted by volatiles emitted by plants damaged by H. halys feeding alone or combined with oviposition activity, nor are they attracted by plants concurrently infested by P. maculiventris and H. halys, indicating the specificity in the parasitoid response and the ability of the invasive herbivore in interrupting the semiochemical communication between plants and native egg parasitoids. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study showing that zoophytophagous predator attacks induce indirect plant defences similarly to those defence strategies adopted by plants as a consequence of single or concurrent infestations of herbivorous insects

Microcephaly and macrocephaly. A study on anthropometric and clinical data from 308 subjects

Head circumference is the auxological parameter that most correlates with developmental anomalies in childhood. Head circumference (HC) two standard deviations (SD) below or above the mean defines microcephaly and macrocephaly, respectively. The aim of this retrospective study was to explore anthropometric parameters and clinical characteristics among subjects with abnormalities in HC who had been referred for developmental assessment. One hundred and sixty four subjects with microcephaly and 144 subjects with macrocephaly were enrolled from birth to 18 months of age. Head circumference at birth and the association with variables related to maternal health status, gestational age, growth pattern, brain imaging and clinical characteristics were analyzed. In some cases, an etiological diagnosis was made. In the two considered conditions, we found different anthropometric and clinical associations, some of which were statistically significant, with implications for ongoing neurodevelopmental surveillance

TTF-1/p63-positive poorly differentiated NSCLC: A histogenetic hypothesis from the basal reserve cell of the terminal respiratory unit

TTF-1 is expressed in the alveolar epithelium and in the basal cells of distal terminal bronchioles. It is considered the most sensitive and specific marker to define the adenocarcinoma arising from the terminal respiratory unit (TRU). TTF-1, CK7, CK5/6, p63 and p40 are useful for typifying the majority of non-small-cell lung cancers, with TTF and CK7 being typically expressed in adenocarcinomas and the latter three being expressed in squamous cell carcinoma. As tumors with coexpression of both TTF-1 and p63 in the same cells are rare, we describe different cases that coexpress them, suggesting a histogenetic hypothesis of their origin. We report 10 cases of poorly differentiated non-small-cell lung carcinoma (PD-NSCLC). Immunohistochemistry was performed by using TTF-1, p63, p40 (∆Np63), CK5/6 and CK7. EGFR and BRAF gene mutational analysis was performed by using real-time PCR. All the cases showed coexpression of p63 and TTF-1. Six of them showing CK7+ and CK5/6− immunostaining were diagnosed as “TTF-1+ p63+ adenocarcinoma”. The other cases of PD-NSCLC, despite the positivity for CK5/6, were diagnosed as “adenocarcinoma, solid variant”, in keeping with the presence of TTF-1 expression and p40 negativity. A “wild type” genotype of EGFR was evidenced in all cases. TTF1 stained positively the alveolar epithelium and the basal reserve cells of TRU, with the latter also being positive for p63. The coexpression of p63 and TTF-1 could suggest the origin from the basal reserve cells of TRU and represent the capability to differentiate towards different histogenetic lines. More aggressive clinical and morphological features could characterize these “basal-type tumors” like those in the better known “basal-like” cancer of the breast

EFFECTS OF SHIFT WORK ON CARDIOVASCULAR ACTIVITY, SERUM CORTISOL AND WHITE BLOOD CELLS COUNT IN A GROUP OF ITALIAN FISHERMEN

We analyzed the effects of working activity and working shifts on the circadian rhythmicity and circadian phase relations of serum cortisol level, white blood cells count, resting heart rate and systolic/diastolic blood pressure in a group of italian fishermen. We observed a shift-induced displacement of cortisol secretion and a modification in leukocyte count. Moreover, systolic/diastolic blood pressure and resting heart rate were markedly influenced by the night shift, whereas no appreciable changes were observed after the morning and afternoon shifts, compared to pre-working values. These data suggest that the human circadian system is greatly influenced by shift work, and serum cortisol level, leukocyte count, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and resting heart rate are sensitive indicators of the biological responses to a stress workload in shift workers, especially after a night shif

The invasive stink bug Halyomorpha halys affects the reproductive success and the experience-mediated behavioural responses of the egg parasitoid Trissolcus basalis

Invasive species, because of their lack of co-evolutionary history with recipient communities, can act as “evolutionary traps” causing disconnects between natural enemy behavioural responses and the suitability of the invasive species as a prey/host resource. Invasion of exotic species in non-native environments may have several ecological effects, including consequences for the experience-mediated behavioural responses of indigenous foragers. Experience is usually thought to help resident species to buffer against negative impacts of new invasive species, including escaping from evolutionary traps. Here we hypothesized that the impact of foraging experience depends on whether an indigenous egg parasitoid can correctly assess the resource suitability of a new invasive species for offspring development. We showed that the invasive stink bug Halyomorpha halys acts as an evolutionary trap for the indigenous egg parasitoid Trissolcus basalis leading to unsuccessful development of ~ 95% of the eggs laid in this host species. In a mixed scenario in which the associated resident stink bug Nezara viridula co-occurs with the invasive H. halys, we showed that oviposition experience in the low quality invasive host induces in T. basalis similar responses to those of the associated host. These results suggest that foraging experience does not lead to avoidance of an evolutionary trap. We discuss parasitoid foraging experience and reproductive success in the light of the evolutionary trap framework with implication for biological control

Electrostatics promotes molecular crowding and selects the aggregation pathway in fibril-forming protein solutions

The role of intermolecular interaction in fibril-forming protein solutions and its relation with molecular conformation are crucial aspects for the control and inhibition of amyloid structures. Here, we study the fibril formation and the protein-protein interactions for two proteins at acidic pH, lysozyme and α-chymotrypsinogen. By using light scattering experiments and the Kirkwood-Buff integral approach, we show how concentration fluctuations are damped even at moderate protein concentrations by the dominant long-ranged electrostatic repulsion, which determines an effective crowded environment. In denaturing conditions, electrostatic repulsion keeps the monomeric solution in a thermodynamically metastable state, which is escaped through kinetically populated conformational sub-states. This explains how electrostatics acts as a gatekeeper in selecting a specific aggregation pathway

Solid-Solid Interfaces in Protonic Ceramic Devices: A Critical Review

The literature concerning protonic ceramic devices is critically reviewed focusing the reader's attention on the structure, composition, and phenomena taking place at solid-solid interfaces. These interfaces play a crucial role in the overall device performance, and the relevance of understanding the phenomena taking place at the interfaces for the further improvement of electrochemical protonic ceramic devices is therefore stressed. The grain boundaries and heterostructures in electrolytic membranes, the electrode-electrolyte contacts, and the interfaces within composite anode and cathode materials are all considered, with specific concern to advanced techniques of characterization and to computational modeling by ab initio approaches. An outlook about future developments and improvements highlights the necessity of a deeper insight into the advanced analysis of what happens at the solid-solid interfaces and of in situ/operando investigations that are presently sporadic in the literature on protonic ceramic devices

Sniff test: does what we measure at the nose reflect what happens in the chest wall?

Nasal pressure measured during sniff (SNIP) is a technically simple voluntary test. Since the contraction of the diaphragm expands the abdomen, the volume variation during sniff manoeuvre should therefore be predominantly abdominal in order to be considered a specific index of diaphragm strength. We aimed to verify if and how SNIP varied according to thoraco-abdominal volume variations. We measured abdominal volume variations, using opto-electronic plethysmography, during quiet breathing (ABQB) and sniff manoeuvres (ABSN) in supine position on 30 patients (age: 42; FVC:47.5%; FEV1:30%) on the waiting list for lung transplant. SNIP was measured simultaneously with ABSN. 68 sniff were analysed and classified into 4 groups according to ABSN: 16 with thoracic paradox, 24 predominantly abdominal, 16 predominantly thoracic and 12 with abdominal paradox. By definition ABSN was different (p<0.001) among the 4 groups, whereas ABQB (~75%; p=0.373) and SNIP (~53 cmH2O, p= 0.792) were similar (figure 1). SNIP did not change with the different thoraco-abdominal strategies. The diaphragm was not weak and leaded inspiration, therefore ABSN varied because the patients misperformed the manoeuvre. In order to not misunderstand the clinical significance of a sniff test, care should be paid also in thoraco-abdominal movement because SNIP, per se, cannot differentiate between thoracic or diaphragmatic manoeuvre with the risk to lose its specificity

Solid-state compatibility of Ca:LaNbO4 with perovskite cathodes: Evidences from X-ray microspectroscopy

The solid-state compatibility between calcium-doped lanthanum niobate and three perovskite cathode materials was investigated using two X-ray microbeam techniques, micro X-ray fluorescence and micro X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The cathode powders (lanthanum strontium ferrite, either cobalt or copper-doped, and lanthanum strontium cobaltite) in contact with the dense electrolyte pellet were annealed at 1150°C for 12–144 h to simulate the effect of thermal stresses due to fabrication and long-term operation. As a result, several interdiffusion phenomena were then observed on the bilayer cross-sections: in particular, the chemical state and coordination environment of calcium, iron, niobium and lanthanum were probed with space-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The ab initio modeling of the near-edge X-ray absorption spectra reveal that the cation interdiffusion is facilitated by the structural flexibility of the perovskite structure, which is able to accommodate a variety of foreign cations in different oxidation states. Limited stability at high-temperatures was found for all candidate perovskite compositions in contact with lanthanum niobate